Often times in life we try to classify things as “Good” and “Bad”. However most of the time it is not that simple and there is no easy definition for good or bad. A lot of it is subjective and people will have different opinions.
Exercise is no different. There are hundreds even thousands of different exercises, types of workouts, and equipment. It is safe to say there is no shortage of different things to do.
Open up any fitness magazine and you can find “experts” debating which exercise is the best, a few different “fat burning” workouts, and new juices that will help you lose 30lbs.
Now I bet every thing you read could work, (okay probably not the juices), the challenge is finding what works best for you.
It is not uncommon for us to hear someone say “Squats are bad for your knees” or “Don’t deadlift you are going to hurt your back”. Now while these statements may have good intention they are flat out wrong. The only way you are going to hurt yourself doing those exercises is when you do them wrong.
The problem is you try to make your body fit the exercise instead of the exercise fitting your body.
I want to say that here at Core Principles we have no “special” exercises, no magical tools that have never been seen before.
In fact a lot of the things we do here are the similar things you may see in a commercial gym, the only difference is that we help find the exercise and position that allow you to be safe while still getting a great workout.
Everyone is going to be a little different, based on how they move, their anatomy, past injuries and other factors. Trying to have someone back squat with 135lbs who has never worked out before and sits at a desk all day is probably not going to feel good for their knees.
The thing is when our body’s are given a task it will try to find a way to accomplish it which may not be the safest and most effective way.
Instead of giving your body a task that is not set up for, try modifying the task in a way that is appropriate for you.
Lets take a look at the squat and deadlift as two examples.
When people hear squat they often automatically think about a straight bar back squat because that is most of what you see at commercial gyms. Now back squats can be a great exercise but only if you have the prerequisites required. It requires a lot of shoulder and thoracic spine mobility, core stability, and overall strength. If you don’t have those instead of trying to force yourself into funky positions lets try to squat a different way.
It is possible the best way for someone to squat is by holding a kettle bell, having their heals elevated, and squatting to a box. Now that is still squatting but you modified the exercise to allow your body to be in the best position.
Next lets take a look at the deadlift. Again, when people think about deadlifts they automatically think a straight bar deadlift from the ground. The straight bar deadlift is also a great exercise but truly requires a lot of skill. Someone must have the ability to hinge well, have enough hip mobility, core stability and overall strength.
Instead of jumping right to the straight bar maybe the best place to start and get strong at is an elevated kettle bell deadlift. The kettle bell is a small tool and is a little easier to create tension with your upper body, and elevating it allows someone to get their back in a better position if they don’t have enough hip mobility.
If you try an exercise that your body is not ready for, than yeah, your knees and back probably wont feel too good.
However it is time to stop blaming the overall movement pattern. If you’re going to say squats are bad for your knees you should probably never stand up out of a chair again. If you are going to say deadlifts are bad for your back you should probably stop picking things up off the ground.
Lets stop trying to make things so black and white and be smarter about your training.
If you are ready to start training in a way that is individualized for your body and how you move hit us up @ (203) 914-6396 or send us an email to info@coreprinciples-sc.com.
-Coach Pat
